But I Smile Anyway…

“Don’t count the days. Make the days count.”

Muhammad Ali

Love a bit of Muhammad Ali, so thank you for that great quote, Spidey, to kick off the holidays!

As you know, I am now on my school summer break.

It’s that stretch of time when people unused to working in education think us teachers lounge about and do nothing for 6 weeks, or longer.

WRONG!

Firstly, I have five weeks officially out of school. Secondly, just because the kids aren’t in doesn’t mean we aren’t. Sure, I won’t go in every day, but I will be, at some point, as we have to get started on clearing the classrooms and getting ready for the new arrivals. Paperwork needs completing, as well as general decor. I have a new teaching member of the team who will need some guidance as to what we have available to use to pretty up what will now be her room.

Plus, the holidays are the only time I can sit back for a while, then get on with that other passion of mine; writing.

Book three is due out next year, and I need to get it written! So I have to make good use of the days I have out of school. This will be on top of other commitments and events we have planned over the break, too.

So far I have added 2,600 to the manuscript and written myself a skeleton plan for the story. I have been scheduling other posts that are going to be featured on my blog, plus I have at least 2 articles to write for other blogs as a feature!

I will be filming a Youtube interview with someone and being a featured speaker at the Thriving Authors Seminar in August, too! Eeks!

I think I am making the days count, Mr Ali!

So, Peeps, do you try and stay productive in some way or another, over your breaks? 😊

“Life is not fair. Get used to it.”

Bill Gates

Feeling moan-y, Spidey, and you have definitely picked up on that!

I know. It’s not like me, is it?

But I am tired. So tired.

This academic year has been a mad one, with different needs we have had to cater for, as well as the OFSTED inspection and a merger with a new academy.

And while the majority of schools. in the UK are finally done for summer; we are still going and don’t finish for another couple of days! No fair!

It’s a killer!

But then again, I should be thankful we had that additional week in June when the weather was lovely… and I do have around five weeks off before we are back.

Plenty of writing time (I hope) when I am not ferrying people around or attending different functions!

So, Peeps, do you find yourself being a little moan-y, even though you should be looking at the positives? 😊

“Be there for others, but never leave yourself behind.”

Dodinsky

Thanks, Spidey, for another great quote.

When you are the kind of person, who is naturally that scaffolding of support for others, it is easy to forget yourself.

I count myself in that type.

My metaphorical door is always open, at home and work, for people to come and talk to me, vent frustrations, and request advice or support.

And I try my hardest to be that font of wisdom, or at least as much wisdom as accumulated after 47 revolutions of the Sun, and being a daughter, sister, wife, mother, teacher and a leader in my job.

But it can be so easy to forget that you need that scaffold of support too.

I have worked hard to create my own network, from colleagues to friends and certain family members who will be my cheerleaders, agony aunts, and even just sounding boards, so I don’t lose myself in everyone else’s dramas.

I know that if I don’t keep my own cup filled, I run the risk of running dry, myself.

That, in itself, has taken years of understanding.

I’ve learned the importance of when to say Yes, and when to say No.

Recently, there was the chance of running for a promotion within my workplace. I knew that, though it might seem like a good option, more money and more responsibility, I was not in the right place in my life to even contemplate it. (And, to be honest, anything that takes me further from teaching and closer to ‘management’ is not my idea of my dream job!)

I have a family that has a lot of needs right now. Work, as it stands, is good for me. I can deal with my responsibilities and still have time for my family.

But, being recognised as possibly being good enough for this other responsibility was a boost in itself. And I was shown how much respect my seniors have in me by being asked to represent our leadership team at an event on Friday.

So that in itself makes me feel that I haven’t been ‘left behind’. I am appreciated. And I feel worthy.

And I can still be that scaffolding for others whilst being supported myself.

So, Peeps, are you making sure you have the right support? 😊

Thanks, Spidey, for allowing me to use one of my old posts as inspiration today for a chat.

Yesterday I was blessed with a very short visit from my parents. You guys know how much they mean to me, and they aren’t close by, so any chance for us to go there, or for them to come over is welcomed.

This weekend they were in the South for a wedding and another function, so came to spend a night with us, before heading back to the Midlands.

It so happened that they were here on my Finndian nephew’s 5th birthday. Happy birthday my gorgeous boy!

And Pops’ 5th birthday, too.

Confused? Don’t be. Let me explain. My father is a bit like the monarch of the UK, with more than one birthday. (He likes to celebrate three times, actually.)

The first is his actual birthday.

His second is on the day of his heart attack. As he always feels like he was given a second birth that day, allowed to live more.

And his third came five years ago, as my mum was in Finland, awaiting the birth of above mentioned Finndian nephew 2.0. Pops was at my cousin’s house and came down with something. They thought it was a gastro virus, but it ended up being a rupture in his intestines that had leaked stomach acid over goodness knows how long, into his stomach cavity. After emergent, life-saving surgery, even the surgeon said he had never seen such a red, angry stomach before!

So, again, he overcame something huge and is still with us today. And that is his third birthday.

And we will always celebrate those extra days with him, because each year shaves a layer of his strength off him, and as the quote above says, parents are fragile… we just don’t always remember.

My parents mean the world to me, and I will always cherish every day I have with them.

So, Peeps, have you ever thought about celebrating an extra day in the year? 😊